Collins named 2008 ACRL/EBSS Distinguished Librarian

For Immediate Release,
February 5, 2008

Collins named 2008 ACRL/EBSS Distinguished Librarian

CHICAGO - John William Collins III, librarian of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, is the recipient of the 2008 Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Education and Behavioral Sciences Section (EBSS) Distinguished Education & Behavioral Sciences Librarian Award. This award honors a distinguished academic librarian who has made an outstanding contribution as an education and/or behavioral sciences librarian through accomplishments and service to the profession.

“Dr. John William Collins III has devoted over 30 years to librarianship and for over 20 years has been an active and contributing member of ACRL and EBSS,” said award committee Chair Paula McMillen, social science reference librarian and associate professor at Oregon State University. “He has directly and indirectly influenced the direction of librarianship by co-founding the ACRL/Harvard Leadership Institute. He has mentored and created professional development opportunities, promoted the exploration of issues through editorial boards and his own scholarship and advocated for a more engaged and inclusive profession.”

“Beyond his years of service directly to the profession, he has kept the perspective of libraries and their users vital through key advisory roles in the development of the National Library of Education and the new ERIC database,” said McMillen. “He truly epitomizes a professional lifetime of service and achievement.”

Prior to working at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Collins was head of the Educational Resources Library at Boston University from 1982-1985, where he also served as assistant head of bibliographic services at Mugar Memorial Library from 1979-82.

Collins received his B.A. in English literature from the University of Massachusetts in 1974. He earned his M.L.S. from the University of Kentucky in 1975 and his Ed.D. from Boston University in 1985. His dissertation title was “Educational Leadership: Policy, Planning and Administration.”

A prize of $1,000 and a plaque, donated by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., will be presented to Collins during the 2008 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif. at the EBSS Program at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 28.

ACRL is a division of the American Library Association, representing 13,000 academic and research librarians and interested individuals. ACRL is the only individual membership organization in North America that develops programs, products and services to meet the unique needs of academic and research librarians. Its initiatives enable the higher education community to understand the role that academic libraries play in the teaching, learning and research environments.